Eq in Amp-Section

  • Hello,


    In some threads I read, that EQing in the amp section can destroy the profile. Therefore I've been afraid to tweak there. Also I read a lot about that the profile isn't the right of you need to touch the EQ. Somehow I can't observe this. The EQ just reacts like an amp EQ would do and pulls the tone where I like it to have. Anyway I'm only using merged profiles. So my question: does the EQ on post position then sits post the direct profile and and pre the cab section so that this negative influence on the profile doesn't occur or am I just lucky?

  • Don't be afraid of the EQ. The pre and post options have to do with the gain stage. It doesn't make as much difference on very clean profiles, but with higher gain it can make a huge difference. Try it out and get a feel for it :)

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • My beginning workflow with a profile is to zero the amp eq. Regardless of where it began.


    Then I work the definition control. For dirty profiles I may noodle with Clarity. If that doesn’t get it, I’ll futz with the eq. often just the mid and presence.


    Still learning the amp compressor and other details.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Kemper posted a video today that include this subject :)


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  • Some people are very concerned with playing an authentic profile that has come straight from the real amp. In the same way that Line 6 model the controls to the amp (with a Cut control, twin volumes with a channel etc), some people have a hard time accepting that the EQ in the KPA isn't consistent with the profiled amp.


    So what? The models in a Helix aren't authentic either, it's just an algorithm that behaves in a way that someone has decided mimics the behaviour. What if you found out that your favourite profile was actually captured from an AxeFx? Would you be upset and change to something authentic which you liked less?


    I'm not actually bothered about having a great AC30 for the intro to a song, I just want the tone in my head. If that falls in the AC30 ballpark, then I'll likely use an AC30 profile that sounds best to my ears. If I then have to tweak it to fit the context, so be it.

  • Guitarists are a bit weird. They always want "purity / authenticity". Like "Man, don't touch the EQ on the Kemper by more than 1 point, because it's totally not going to sound like the original anymore". This compulsive behavior / mindest can go much further in the whole signal chain, from pick to speaker. I have to admit that I also think like that from time to time. But tbh, I learned to listen with my ears. Trying out profiles in a mix or live setting also taught me a lot. I had to learn to accept that I need to increase treble and presence for pretty much all profiles by a bit less than 2 points. I had a hard time with that in the beginning. I was asking myself if something was wrong with the Kemper or my guitar, because the demos sounded awesome. I mainly play the neck pickup on my Strat, which probably explains why I need the additionnal top end. In the end, I just accepted it and it actually sounds the way it's supposed to: adding treble and presence sounds like adding treble and presence on an amp (suprise!).


    We are a conservative bunch, but at the same time people open up to new technologies. Very interesting tension going on here ;)

  • Cory Wong said this: "As far as amps in the studio, all I really ever use now is a Kemper [Profiler]. I use one of the M. Britt profiles. I use his 70 Marshall SL2 profile. I just turn the gain down to almost zero and it sounds awesome."


    Conventional wisdom for the Kemper says that shouldn't work. Clearly it does.


    The thing we all have to remember is this truth: If it sounds good, it *is* good. How you get there is irrelevant.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • We are a conservative bunch, but at the same time people open up to new technologies. Very interesting tension going on here ;)

    Well spotted. I see it the same way. Sometimes there's a quite traditional view on how things should be. Personally I prefer a more pragmatic approach and less dogma :)


    But tbh, I learned to listen with my ears.

    That's how I like to use the Kemper as well. And as a tool for creativity. Sometimes it's nice to tweak profiles in a way which you could never tweak the real amp. Often the result is crap but sometimes it has a nice vibe... 8)